Domestic appliance



l- 1946- n. K. FERRIS DOIESTIC APPLIANCE Filed lay 14, 1943 2 Sheets-Shed; J.

Aug; 27, 1946. D. K. FERR IS DOMESTIC APPLIANCE Filed May 14, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /I ll l/ Q A, IINVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 27, 1946 DOMESTIC APPLIANCE Donald k. Ferris, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application May 14, 1943, Serial No. 486,932

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to domestic appliance, and more particularly to a clothes drier.

An object of this invention is to provide a clothes drier in which a source of radiant heat rays, such as infra-red rays, is provided, together with means for focusing said rays into the main body of tum-bling clothes in order to dry the clothes.

Another object of this invention isto provide a clothes drier in which a source of radiant heat rays is provided, together with a stream of air, and with a means for tumbling clothes, in the path of the stream of air.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a clothes drier, with one side of the casing removed;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the clothes drier taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line 3--3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

A clothes drier according to this invention .is provided with a source of radiant heat rays, which are directed against. the clothes to be dried. These clothes are tumbled in front of the rays and air is circulated past the clothes. By this constructionsubstantially all of the heat energy is directed on the clothes themselves, and it is not necessary to heat a large amount of air or a bulky apparatus in order to dry the clothes.

In a preferred form of the invention, a source of radiant heat rays, which preferably takes the form of one or more infra-red lamps I0, is mounted to emanate radiant heat rays, such as infra-red,,.into an insulated case II. Means are provided for maintaining the main body of tumbling clothes in the path of such rays, such as a rotatable drum I2, mounted to rotate in the caslng I I. This drum allows the infra-red rays to pass into the drum and into the main body of clothes, and may be. made of some foraminous material such as wire mesh. The drum may be provided with a plurality of bailles I3 for tumbling clothes placed in the drum. If desired, the baiiles I3 may be made by indentations of the wire mesh cloth, as indicated in the drawings or may be of any other desiredform.

Means are provided for blowing a stream of 2 air past the tumbling clothes. Such means may take the form of a blower'l4, which draws air into the louvers I5, past the blower l4 into the duct I6, past the inlet IBa from whence the a stream flows into and around the drum I2, past the tumbling clothes therein. From thence the air may circulate past the casing outlet Ila into the duct I1 and out through the duct outlets I8 and I9.

Preferably the air stream is introduced into the casing II near the top at the inlet 16a and is removed near the bottom of the casing II at the outlet Ila. By this construction the air which has been slightly heated by the lamps I0 and which tends to rise by convection to the top of easing II is entrapped by the forced air stream at I60: and is carried past the tumbling clothes into the outlet Ila. This slightly heated air, to-

gether with the large amount of heat introduced directly into the clothes by radiation, quickly dries the clothes.

The duct outlet I8 may be provided with a removable screen 20. The screen 20 acts as a lint trap, which prevents lint from flying into the room in which the drier is located. Should the screen 20 become over-clogged, the stream of air is free to make a sharpv upward turn and to flow out of the unscreened outlet I9.

Means are rovided for ozonizing the stream of air before it comes in contact with the tumbling clothes. For this purpose an ozonizer, diagrammatically indicated at 2|, may be provided in the stream of air, such as in the duct I6, to ozonize the air before it comes in contact with the tumbling clothes. This causes some bleaching action on the clothes and imparts a fresh outdoor odor to the clothes.

An electric motor 22 is provided, which is drivingly connected to the blower I 4 and to the drum I2. If desired, the motor 22 may be provided with a pulley 23, which is connected to the speed reducing pulley construction 24, terminating in the pulley 25 drivingly connected to the drum I2 through the medium of a shaft 26 mounted in a bearing 21.

The insulated casing II is provided with a hinged door 28. A casing 29 may surround the insulated casing I I, except at the door 28.

The drum I2 may be provided with an opening 30 in its end wall, which registers with the door 28. so that clothes may be inserted or withdrawn from the drum I2.

Proper controls for the drier are provided. The switch controller 31 is mounted at any convenient location and is rovided with a control handle jvided for stopping operation'of the machine when the clothes have been sufllciently dried. For this purpose a. sensitive device 34 may be placed in the stream of air after ithas passed in contact with the clothes. This device 34 may be made it is to be understood that other forms might be 4 Merelyby way of example, with a drum 24 inches in diameter and 18 inches long, a bank of six infra-red lamp may be used, with a total power consumption of 1500 watts. Such a structure has a drying capacity substantially equal to a drying device having the same size drum and Y consuming a much higher current and which does not apply the heat according to my invention.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form,

adopted, as may come within the scope of the claims which follow.

sensitive to a condition of the stream of air,

such as humidity and/or temperature. It may be connected with the switching arrangement in structure 3| to trip a snap-acting device when the temperature or humidity of the air is of the character which comes from hot dry clothes. When the clothes have been sumciently dried,

the humidity 'of the air i substantially reduped.

Also, when the clothes have been suiflciently dried, the temperature of the air rises rapidly. The device 34 may be made responsive to either or both the temperature or humidity of the air to actuate the trip device in the switch structure 3| to stop operation of the machine. The switch structure per se is obvious to those skilled in the art, and therefore details thereof are not shown.

The lamp l0 preferably are of the type in which the electric heater is enclosed in glass or other ray transparent medium, so that no lint can accidentally come in contact with the glowing resistance. By way of example, the lamps it may be mounted in front of a gold plated reflector Illb so curved as to focus the rays into the clothes at Mic. The lamps have heater I M encased in glass We. The drum I2 is rotated in the direction shown by the arrows, so that the main body of clothes is in front of the heaters and within the focal length of the reflector. The clothes may be brought close to the heaters because there is no fire hazard when the heaters are protected by glass or other transparent medium. Any'form of infra-red ray source may be used in which the :heater i protected by special glass or any other medium transparent to infra-red rays. If desired the resistances may be mounted in a bank behind a single pane of glass and in front of the jreflector.

The lamps I0 are preferably removable, such as jby being mounted on the removable base Illa ;for replacement or repairs.

Disclaimer 2,406,494.-D0'nald K. Ferris, Dayton Ohio.

Disclaimer filed Sept. 29, 1948 by the inventor; the ass gnee,

Aug.'27, 1946.

General Motors Corporation, consenting and What is claimed is as follows: 1. A clothes drier comprising a stationary casing, a perforated, cylindrical, drum in said cas- 'ing rotatable about a horizontal axis, means for rotating said drum about said axis, an infra-red lamp comprising an infra-red electric heater encased in glass supported in said casing adjacent the lower upwardly rising portion of said drum,

and means to circulate air through said casing and drum.

ing rotatable about a horizontal axis. means for a rotating said drum about said axis, a plurality of lamps each comprising an infra-red electric heater encased in glass supported in said casing' outside said drum adjacent the lower, upwardly rising portion of said drum, said lamp constituting the main heating means'oi' said drier, and

means to circulate air through said casing and drum.

3. A clothes drier comprising a stationary casing, a perforated, cylindrical, drum in said casing rotatable about a horizontal axis, baflles in said drum, means for rotating said drum about said axis, a plurality of lamps each comprising an infra-red electric heater encased in glass supported in said casing outside said drum adjacent the lower, upwardly rising portionof said drum, said lamps constituting the main heating means of said drier and means to circulate air through said casing and drum.

4. A clothes drier comprising a stationary casing, a rotatable clothes drying support in said casing, heating means in said casing, means to blow air into said casing, and means forming an I outlet for air from said casing including a duct having a lint arresting screen, and another duct at an angle to said first named duct connected adjacent said screen at a place reached by the air before it reaches said screen.

DONALD K. FERRIS.

Domns'rrc APPLIANCE. Patent dated a$rming.

Hereby enters this disclaimer to claim 4 of said patent.

[Qflicial Gazette November- 9, 1.948.] 

